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Deception: A Greg O'Brien Novel
It's very difficult to juggle work and school in today's world, and this is especially true when you're studying to take the CPA exam. This is what Greg O'Brien is facing, and that's only half of it. His fiancee, Jennifer Mason, is cheating on him, or at least he suspects that she is. Everything comes to a head one October night, and they put all of their cards on the table. Subsequently, Greg packs his stuff and leaves their apartment never to return after he learns the truth about Jennifer's indiscretion. He then moves in with his famous sister Jessica O'Brien, a popular radio personality in the Atlanta area, and he tries to put the pieces of his life back together. Meanwhile, Greg's best friend Horace Shingles is planning his wedding with fiancee, Sasha Mays, and Greg is slated to be his best man. However, things start to unravel for Horace and Sasha as they learn that Sasha's cousin Ramona is harboring a dark secret that will ultimately affect everyone's life.
125 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2019
9 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Mark Stephen O'Neal
17 books4 followersI'm an independent author who currently resides in Chicago and writes urban crime fiction books. I enjoy watching crime dramas, comedy and sports; and I love traveling in my spare time. I'm also a follower of Christ who strives to be a positive influence daily. Look out for various new releases in the near future.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 18, 2019
‘Where are you, baby? Call me back.’
Chicago author Mark Stephen O’Neal writes urban crime fiction books. He has published six novels to date and DECEPTION is Book 1 of a new series, the GREG O’BRIEN SERIES. Mark makes it a point to inform us he is African American – and his novels focus on African American characters. This is a refreshing advance in equality in literature.
The title DECEPTION suggests the direction of the story: infidelity among couples, indiscretion among friends – and that describes some of the characters Mark has created. The flavor of Mark’s opening pages sets the tone well for this urban crime novel. ‘It was half past midnight on a chilly Friday night in October of 2017, and the food on the kitchen stove had gotten cold. Greg O’Brien was cooking dinner before his fiancée, Jennifer Mason, had called and said she had to work late. He opted to finish preparing dinner anyway and decided to wait until she got home so that they could eat together. He subsequently fell asleep on the couch after watching television once he finished cooking, and he hadn’t received a call or text from her since they had spoken hours earlier…He tried to ignore the fact that Jennifer had been coming home late night after night for months and wondered what was really going on…’
Each character in the story is introduced in the same manner – the beginning of future deception is evident in the way Mark brings them into the progress of the tale. So where does the plot take us? ‘It's very difficult to juggle work and school in today's world, and this is especially true when you're studying to take the CPA exam. This is what Greg O'Brien is facing, and that's only half of it. His fiancée, Jennifer Mason, is cheating on him, or at least he suspects that she is. Everything comes to a head one October night, and Greg and Jennifer put all of their cards on the table. Subsequently, Greg packs his stuff and leaves their apartment never to return after he learns the truth about Jennifer's indiscretion. He then moves in with his famous sister Jessica O'Brien, a popular radio personality in the Atlanta area, and he tries to put the pieces of his life back together. Meanwhile, Greg's best friend Horace Shingles is planning his wedding with his fiancée, Sasha Mays, and Greg is slated to be his best man. However, things start to unravel for Horace and Sasha as they learn Sasha's cousin Ramona is harboring a dark secret that will ultimately affect everyone in their inner circle lives.’ And the novel ends with a suggestion of what the next installment in this series will bring.
Mark’s signature is the manner in which he tells his story with almost solid conversation. It works, better than extraneous descriptions. The characters he has created should serve him well as this new series progresses. Mark is a welcome new voice in the crime novel genre.
Chicago author Mark Stephen O’Neal writes urban crime fiction books. He has published six novels to date and DECEPTION is Book 1 of a new series, the GREG O’BRIEN SERIES. Mark makes it a point to inform us he is African American – and his novels focus on African American characters. This is a refreshing advance in equality in literature.
The title DECEPTION suggests the direction of the story: infidelity among couples, indiscretion among friends – and that describes some of the characters Mark has created. The flavor of Mark’s opening pages sets the tone well for this urban crime novel. ‘It was half past midnight on a chilly Friday night in October of 2017, and the food on the kitchen stove had gotten cold. Greg O’Brien was cooking dinner before his fiancée, Jennifer Mason, had called and said she had to work late. He opted to finish preparing dinner anyway and decided to wait until she got home so that they could eat together. He subsequently fell asleep on the couch after watching television once he finished cooking, and he hadn’t received a call or text from her since they had spoken hours earlier…He tried to ignore the fact that Jennifer had been coming home late night after night for months and wondered what was really going on…’
Each character in the story is introduced in the same manner – the beginning of future deception is evident in the way Mark brings them into the progress of the tale. So where does the plot take us? ‘It's very difficult to juggle work and school in today's world, and this is especially true when you're studying to take the CPA exam. This is what Greg O'Brien is facing, and that's only half of it. His fiancée, Jennifer Mason, is cheating on him, or at least he suspects that she is. Everything comes to a head one October night, and Greg and Jennifer put all of their cards on the table. Subsequently, Greg packs his stuff and leaves their apartment never to return after he learns the truth about Jennifer's indiscretion. He then moves in with his famous sister Jessica O'Brien, a popular radio personality in the Atlanta area, and he tries to put the pieces of his life back together. Meanwhile, Greg's best friend Horace Shingles is planning his wedding with his fiancée, Sasha Mays, and Greg is slated to be his best man. However, things start to unravel for Horace and Sasha as they learn Sasha's cousin Ramona is harboring a dark secret that will ultimately affect everyone in their inner circle lives.’ And the novel ends with a suggestion of what the next installment in this series will bring.
Mark’s signature is the manner in which he tells his story with almost solid conversation. It works, better than extraneous descriptions. The characters he has created should serve him well as this new series progresses. Mark is a welcome new voice in the crime novel genre.
March 18, 2019
Deception: A Greg O'Brien Novel by Mark Stephen O'Neal is a short book, but packs a punch nonetheless. Written in the urban fiction genre this book covers a lot of ground from failing relationships to restoring relationships to growing as individuals. The story starts with Jennifer Mason and her boyfriend Greg, and we watch as their relationship deteriorates in front of our eyes. Jennifer has been cheating on Greg with her boss, and wants out. Greg moves out and moves on to live with his sister for a while until he can regain his bearings. Most of the action takes place in Atlanta, revealing the characters' lives one by one as they struggle to come to terms with plenty of secrets between them. A wedding, an illness, and much more add to the complicated and emotional tale. Overall an interesting blend of realistic characters and a solid plot line that pulls you into the story. You can't help but root for all of them to succeed and make it big, however they define that. Strong recommendation.
March 19, 2019
Whoo! What drama, what hotness and what about the feelings left by the wayside! Deception starts with Greg being stood up by his fiancée Jennifer for dinner… again. He has growing suspicions about her infidelities and eventually after their relationship rows more and more rocky, it all comes to a head and his suspicions are confirmed. Greg moves to his sister Jessica’s place in an attempt to clear his head and start over. Another storyline in this book is about Sasha and Horace, Greg’s best friend. They are slated to be married soon but when Sasha arrives in Atlanta she finds out some horrifying news from her close cousin Ramona. This will leave them all reeling, and things will never be the same.
My main thought when reading this book was that it is so juicy, stock full of details and I could imagine sitting down at Jessica’s table chatting about all this stuff happening. The author did a great job making the characters feel accessible and the relationships between them all and how they are connected was great!
My main thought when reading this book was that it is so juicy, stock full of details and I could imagine sitting down at Jessica’s table chatting about all this stuff happening. The author did a great job making the characters feel accessible and the relationships between them all and how they are connected was great!
March 19, 2019
Deception: A Greg O’Brien Novel by Mark Stephen O’Neal is just a chapter in Greg’s life, which I could see the author continuing. Careers, school, and dating among young adults is difficult. Greg struggles with breaking the bonds of a culture that holds him back while preparing for a better job. And his speed isn’t fast enough for his girlfriend. Holding his head above water while everyone around him is struggling isn’t easy.
Mark Stephen O’Neal slipped a character in Deception that most may overlook. George maybe just a barber, but his belief in the Black man is spot on. I love his passion for the respect and advancement of his people; realizing they need to believe in themselves and walk in integrity. The twist was where George ended up; I am hoping to see him in future novels. The inner city slang was a sweet reminder of years living in Chicago. I enjoyed reading this short novel, but I would not want to live with all the drama in these characters lives.
Mark Stephen O’Neal slipped a character in Deception that most may overlook. George maybe just a barber, but his belief in the Black man is spot on. I love his passion for the respect and advancement of his people; realizing they need to believe in themselves and walk in integrity. The twist was where George ended up; I am hoping to see him in future novels. The inner city slang was a sweet reminder of years living in Chicago. I enjoyed reading this short novel, but I would not want to live with all the drama in these characters lives.
December 9, 2019
Juicy but too short
Loved the drama and how things played out. But the book just ended. Didn't work up to an ending, no cliff hanger, no inclination of there being a book 2. Just ended. That made no sense to me.
Loved the drama and how things played out. But the book just ended. Didn't work up to an ending, no cliff hanger, no inclination of there being a book 2. Just ended. That made no sense to me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews